Nanjing, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Question: Zhenjiang Xijindu: A thousand-year-old ancient ferry sees the present at a glance

Xinhua News Agency reporters Chen Gang and Ke Gaoyang

The Yangtze River rolls eastward, and the Grand Canal runs through the north and south. At the confluence of rivers, the Xijin Gudu of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province stands near the river. Walking here, the bluestone pavement winds and extends under the feet, and the deep rut marks left in the middle of the stone slabs tell the prosperity and busyness of the old days and record the vicissitudes of thousands of years.

Drone shot of the Xijindu Historical and Cultural District. (Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Zhenjiang Municipal Party Committee)

Under the warm spring sun, the nostalgia research tour of Zhenjiang Muyuan Ethnic School started from Xijindu. Standing next to the waiting pavilion, the instructor introduced to the students: "'Jingkou Guazhou is a water, Zhongshan is only separated by a few mountains', Wang Anshi crossed the river to write this poem, it was from here to take a boat to the north......"

Xijindu was built in the Three Kingdoms period, and after the Grand Canal was dug in the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became the throat of north-south water traffic and the hub of water transportation. Throughout the ages, countless literati and writers have waited for ships or landed here, and wrote about the prosperity of Xijin Gudu with low-chanted and shallow poems.

Time passes, vicissitudes. Due to the siltation of the river beach and the northward movement of the river bank, Xijindu is gradually moving away from the river bank. By the end of the last century, there was no longer a ferry here, the nearby housing buildings were in danger, the neighborhood infrastructure was lacking, and the residents lived a life of coal stoves and toilets. The local government has launched the protection of the Xijindu Historical and Cultural District, adhering to the repair principle of "repairing the old as before, preserving its authenticity", improving the functions of the neighborhood and improving the quality of life of residents.

After years of renovation, Xijindu has been revitalized. Today, there are 3 national cultural relics protection units and more than 30 provincial and municipal cultural relics protection units, making it one of the most eye-catching cultural landmarks in Zhenjiang.

On April 21, tourists visited the Xijindu Historical and Cultural District. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ke Gaoyang

Walk up the stairs along the ancient ferry port, the green bricks and tiles on both sides of the street are antique. In the middle of the ancient street is the Zhaoguan Stone Pagoda, which was built in the Yuan Dynasty and has been standing for more than 700 years. The solemn bearing attracts visitors to stop and take pictures.

Not far from the stone tower, there is an archaeological excavation pit with the road base of different periods: the pavement of the Qing Dynasty is paved with irregular stones, the pavement of the Ming Dynasty is gray bricks of the same specification, the pavement of the Song and Yuan dynasties and the Tang Dynasty is a layer of rammed earth, and the lowest layer is the original plank road carved out by the ancients on the mountain, which can be traced back to before the Tang Dynasty.

"Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, see the present at a glance. "Tourists stand here, and the thousand-year-old historical memory of Gudu is quietly restored in front of them. Mr. Lu, a tourist from Shanghai, stopped and sighed: "Although it is only a few meters long, it can already make people feel the vicissitudes of history and the weight of culture." ”

The night view of Jindu, Zhenjiang, taken by drone. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Feng Jiangjiang)

As night fell, Xijindu ushered in the peak moment of appearance. The lanterns hanging on the eaves are lit, the vicissitudes of the ancient street become hazy and mysterious, the sandalwood boards are beaten, the Jinghu accompaniment, the Shangqing stage on the corner of the street is brilliantly lit, and traditional opera performances take turns. The voices of people in the night market are endless, the aroma of pot cover noodles is wafting, and the smoke is thick.

But Nishijindu is not all bustling either. Walking out of the main street and turning into a side alley, you can see the long corridor where wisteria falls, and three or five old people take a leisurely walk in the night. A few cats rested on the electric seats, and the occasional visitor passed by without being disturbed.

In the middle of the night, Gudu, who had watched for thousands of years, finally fell asleep. The next day, she will wake up to the fireworks of the world.